1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lamp holder assembly, and more particularly, to a lamp holder base and attachment method for providing simple and effective attachment of the lamp holder base to a mounting plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a lamp holder for an illuminating lamp, e.g., an incandescent or flourescent lamp, which includes a socket to establish both mechanical and electrical connections to the illuminating device, as well as a base for providing attachment of the lamp holder to a mounting plate. The mounting plate could be, for example, a plate member of a light fixture, a back panel of a refrigerator, or a portion of an automobile dash.
One known approach for providing attachment of the lamp holder to a mounting plate is to include a threaded mounting sleeve on the lamp holder base, and provide a corresponding hole in the mounting plate. The threaded mounting sleeve is positioned in and passed through the hole in the mounting plate, such that a portion of the threaded mounting sleeve extends past a back surface of the mounting plate. A nut is then treaded onto the portion of the threaded mounting sleeve which extends past the back surface of the mounting plate to secure the lamp holder to the mounting plate.
One disadvantage to such an approach is that the mounting means must be provided as two discrete parts, i.e., the treaded sleeve and the nut. When installing the lamp holder in close quarters, such as on a back panel of a refrigerator or in a dash of an automobile, it is possible to cross-thread the nut onto the treaded portion. Such cross-threading can result in the destruction of the lamp base and/or the nut, and an inferior attachment of the lamp holder base to the mounting plate. In addition, the nut may be dropped during attempted installation, thereby resulting in increased installation time and frustration, and possibly the loss of the nut.
Another approach is to provide a pair of simple mounting clips on the lamp holder base and provide a corresponding pair of slots in the mounting plate for receiving the pair of mounting clips. Generally, however, such an arrangement results in a loose fit between the lamp holder base and the mounting plate.
Thus, a need exists for a lamp holder base which can consistently provide effective attachment of the lamp holder to the mounting plate, and which is simple to install.